Walaa Idris: Immigration is good - but only when it is controlled and the immigrants fully assimilate

Walaa Idris grew up in Sudan but has lived in London since 1991, where she is a Conservative activist and former ward chairman. She blogs here.

Immigration has always been a lively and controversial topic. Ever since Enoch Powell's infamous "Rivers of blood" speech in 1968, the subject has been made more difficult to discuss in dispassionate terms. In fact, it became a taboo subject. But we must discuss immigration, and it is not racist to want to do so. I caution all parties though to use sensitive and thoughtful language when doing so.

For too long immigration has been used as a crude political football during General Election campaigns. All parties try to outbid each other with stronger and more aggressive language on the subject, and usually in a desperate attempt to win the "popular vote". The danger of this attitude is that it makes the subject emotive, and its appeal is to the voters’ basic instincts.  These instincts are usually dangerously flirting with racialist over-tones.

Let me be clear: immigration is a force for good. Our membership of the European Union is as much about immigration as it is about trade. Citizens of the EU are able to move freely from country to country and live, work and vote in countries from which they do not hail. London is the financial centre of the world because of the significant benefits immigrants in the financial services sector have brought with their international business knowledge. But immigration is more than about free trade. It is about a way of life. It is about religion. It is about cultural identity. It is also crucially about national loyalty. This is where the subject becomes more complex.

That said, the host country has the right to attach conditions to entry. It has the right to demand loyalty to national institutions - the rule of law, Parliament, our courts - whilst the right to peaceful protest is also enshrined in British values. But there must also be an acceptance that unlimited numbers of immigrants wanting to come and live in the UK is not acceptable. Just as you limit the number of passengers allowed in a taxi, so too is it essential to limit the number of immigrants wanting to settle here.

Walaa Idris: Is child labour in countries we trade with unavoidable?

Walaa Idris, Chairman of Hans Town Ward in Kensington & Chelsea, considers whether we can realistically expect countries we trade with to have the same working standards as us.

I was at the CWO conference on Monday. Thanks to Fiona Hodgson and her dynamic team the day was well thought out, well planned, and well attended. It covered everything from Women Empowerment to Women as Peacemakers and was appropriately closed by David Cameron’s speech on “The need to end sexual violence against women”.

There was a discussion on “Africa - a continent of extremes”, about how to empower women and women enterprises in the developing world. The general consensus was by buying their goods and products and by supporting free trade we give these women a fighting chance to support themselves and families. One of the questions asked was how can we in the UK be confident that the goods and products sold by these enterprises are not stained by child labour. There were lots of interesting suggestions about how we can safeguard the integrity of these goods.